I have heard the same as you Sunnydays and it also matters by age/time of day as in having an 8 year old home alone for an hour after school is different than leaving them home alone while parent works the night shift is totally different. Many kids age 8 and up are home alone after school. It used to be considered 12 for being in charge of other kids ie babysitting but again not sure there is a hard and fast rule about it.